Heslop's Local Advertiser
Thiepval Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Richard Morton was born in 1882 and married at Gateshead, County Durham in 1912 to Margaret Hannah Forster (registered as Foster) and with whom he had a son Richard Jnr born in 1915.
On the outbreak of war Richard and his family were living at Felling. He enlisted within days of the declaration of war at Sunderland, assigned as Private 291 to the 1st/9th Battalion Durham Light Infantry which had returned from its annual camp and ordered to prepare for war. Over the next 9 months, after spending a few weeks digging trenches at South Shields as part of the coastal defences, the battalion was formed into 4 companies and began training at Ravensworth, Boldon and Newcastle-upon-Tyne for service overseas.
Private Morton departed with the 1/9th Battalion from Newcastle railway station between April 17th-19th 1915 for France, they landed at Boulogne April 20th and were attached to the 151st Brigade, 50th Northumbrian Division. Within days without any nursery training they were fighting in the front line trenches of the Ypres salient where they suffered heavy casualties from shelling and gas attacks on the Frezenberg and Bellewaarde ridges but thankfully were spared the heavy losses suffered by the other Durham battalions. They remained in the trenches of the salient until August 1916 before moving from Belgium to France participating in the final stages of the Battles of the Somme.
During September and October, the 1/9th D.L.I. attacked towards the Starfish Line, north of High Wood and the Flers Line at Eaucort L’Abbaye.
Private 291 Richard Morton Durham Light Infantry was killed in action September 16th 1916. His sacrifice is recorded as one of the 72,246 names inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, Thiepval, France, commemorating servicemen from Britain and South Africa who died on the Somme 1915-1918 who have no known grave, He was 34 years old.
His widow Margaret received all monies due to him, a pension for herself and their son and his awards of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to her at their home address of 67, Wellington Street, Felling, Gateshead, County Durham.
Richard Morton Jnr died aged 82 years in 1997, registered at Gateshead.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
His death was reported in Heslop's Local Advertiser 17/11/1916
Richard Morton is remembered at Felling on F32.07
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 248
